Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria isolated in 1982 from the stomach of patients with gastritis lesions and peptic ulceration, is a genus which formerly was related to Camphylobacter. It appears as a curved or S shaped gram-negative bacillus, its cell wall being smooth adhering closely to the cytoplasmic membrane. To-day, it is recognized that the grade of Helicobacter pylori colonisation is associated with chronic gastritis and peptic ulceration. It is the general conclusion that the presence of Helicobacter pylori colonisation is of great importance in both the development and chronicity of peptic gastric ulcer disease. It was reported that, more than 80% of cases of chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcer are associated with coexisting Helicobacter pylori infection and both are related to the development of the ulcer disease.
The routine treatment against Helicobacter pylori, is based on the use of bismuth subcitrate and antibiotics. However, as known this method does not eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection, and after a period of time the infection reoccurs.
Bismuth preparations were successfully used to combat various gastrointestinal disorders. The most commonly used are bismuth subsalicylate and colloidal bismuth subcitrate. Later on, combinations of bismuth salts with antibiotics, such as amoxycillin and metrodinazole, were also suggested. It was demonstrated that colloidal bismuth subcitrate improved dyspepsia by clearing the bacteria and not by any other effect of the drug on the gastrointestinal tract. To-day, it is considered that a triple therapy of:
(1) a bismuth compound; PA1 (2) a nitroimidazole antibiotic, and PA1 (3) tetracycline or amoxycillin,
is effective in eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection in most patients. However,it was pointed out that a long-term follow-up is required in order to determine whether a recurrence of histologic gastritis symptoms will not appear. Also it is known that some diarrhea effects might occur due to Clostridium difficile colitis. On the other hand, some complaints of constipations were also reported after treatments with bismuth subcitrate alone.
According to a very recent report (Rosberg K. et al. Scand. J. Gastroenterol 1991, 26 p. 1179-1187) tests which were carried out on pigs show that a good correlation exists between adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to the gastric epithelium and gastritis, in-vivo and in-vitro infected specimens, using the same bacterial strains. This is a very important finding considering the fact that the adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to pig gastric mucosal specimen is quite similar to the human condition. In another recent paper (Desai H. G. et al. Scand J. Gastroenterol 1991, 26, 1205-8) it is reported that there is a relationship between the two reservoirs of Helicobacter pylori, i.e. dental plaque and the stomach. Using the Camphylobacter-like organism test, Helicobacter pylori was detected in dental plaque and in gastric antral and body mucosa of a number of patients with dyspepsia. It was found that the density of Helicobacter pylori is heaviest in dental plaque and less in the body mucosa of the stomach. The treatment by the triple drug system (bismuth, nitroimidazole and amoxycillin) shows that the bacteria was eliminated from the gastric mucosa, in all the 24 patients treated, but persisted in dental plaque in all of them. The authors concluded that the dental plaque is a major reservoir of Helicobacter pylori, being greater in their number than in the stomach and may be responsible for the reoccurence of infection after cessation of therapy in the body mucosa of the stomach.
The above brief review clearly illustrates the potential diseases imparted by the Helicobacter pylori and the various approaches suggested to combat this bacteria.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for inhibiting the growth of Helicobacter pylori.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for inhibiting the growth of Helicobacter pylori without utilizing any of the known drugs or antibiotics.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for inhibiting the growth of urease Helicobacter pylori. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for inhibiting the growth of Helibacter pylori, which does not impart any undesired effects.